


Heights

by one_true_houselight



Category: Rhett & Link
Genre: Gen, scared of heights, small RandL
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-03
Updated: 2017-07-03
Packaged: 2018-11-22 22:23:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 889
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11389626
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/one_true_houselight/pseuds/one_true_houselight
Summary: Rhett and Link explore some rocks





	Heights

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first fic. Yikes. Enjoy!

They had a week before they started third grade, and Rhett had convinced Link to check out a part of the woods they hadn’t explored. Rhett didn’t know it, but Link had agreed much quicker than he wanted to. Rhett was his best friend, but he had gotten into the habit of treating Link like a little brother half the time. Even though Link appreciated this on some level, sometimes Rhett acted like he wasn’t able to take risks or take care of himself. So when Rhett suggested going on this adventure, Link had decided to say yes to show he wasn’t a little kid. 

“Link, look at those rocks!” Rhett was leading. “I bet there are fossils in there! I was reading-”

“Let’s climb them.” Link spoke before he thought through the words. “Come on, it’ll be fun.” Rhett hesitated, which would have given Link pause most days. But this was his chance to prove himself. “Here’s a handhold. I think the river is on the other side!” Rhett took a deep breath before following Link to the wall. 

They climbed for about 5 minutes before they found a gap to slide through. On the other side, there was a ledge. It jutted out about three feet from the wall, before giving way to a 12-foot drop to the river below. Link immediately walked to the edge. “Wow, look at the river!” He turned to Rhett. “Isn’t this-” He stops as he sees Rhett backed up as far as he can against the wall. His eyes reflect the panic rising in his face. Link scrunched his brow in concern, but didn’t move from the edge. “Are you ok?” 

“Oh yeah. I’m fine.” Rhett’s voice was tight and breathy, almost over-articulating each word as if his words would become a barrier from the drop in front of him. Link was immediately worried, but he felt something else: he was doing something that Rhett wasn’t! He felt proud of himself, and that overshadowed his worry. 

“This is so cool! I feel like I’m standing on the edge of the world.” He heard a sharp intake of breath behind him, but the adrenaline rush propelled him on. “We’re like intrepid explorers. Finding the boundaries of-” As he said this, he stepped forward dramatically, losing himself in his imagination. Suddenly, his foot slipped off the edge. He swung back wildly with a cry, but gravity grabbed hold of the wayward foot and started pulling him over the edge. But before he could start reviewing his life, he felt arms grab him and stop his fall. He heard ragged breathing fighting for dominance over his beating heart before he regained control of his feet and got them both back on solid ground. The arms loosened for a second, only to tighten again when Link started collapsing under his own weight. They worked together to get Link over to the wall, and then Rhett slowly lowered himself down next to Link. Once he was settled, Link felt him start shaking. 

Link slowly reached out and grabbed Rhett’s shoulder. He looked over and saw Rhett failing to fight back tears as he grabbed Link’s hand and held it there. Link sat up and moved closer, reaching around to hold the boy next to him, as Rhett had done for Link whenever he had a panic attack. Link thought about how scared Rhett had been, and yet he saved him. Link started crying a little himself as he realized something: he was so lucky to have a brother in Rhett, and he could do the same for Rhett. It wasn’t a competition, and he wasn’t a little kid being protected. He was exploring the world with his best friend, and they could help each other through anything. 

They sat like that until Rhett stopped shaking. Rhett wiped his eyes and sat up. 

Link looked at Rhett. “Wanna try to get to the edge? We can go slow and I’ll help.” Rhett nodded.

“Let’s do it.” Link started trying to have Rhett stand, but realized he felt more balanced if he was sitting. So they slid forward, stopping to let Rhett get acclimated. Soon, they had their legs hanging over the edge. Link looked over at Rhett, who was breathing heavily, but had a wide grin.

“You ok?”

“Yeah. Thanks.” They sat in silence, letting the river roar for a while. Link finally spoke again.

“I’m sorry for goading you. I didn’t realize you were scared of heights, and I wanted to show you that I could do things.”

“It’s fine.” Rhett gestured up, indicating his tall stature. “It’s pretty ironic, me being scared of heights.” They giggled at the joke.

“I’m glad you’re my brother.” Link’s words hung in the air. He looked over at Rhett, who stared out at the river. Just as Link started to panic, Rhett looked over and smiled.

“I’m glad you’re my brother.” They looked back at the river, swinging their feet. Rhett chuckled softly. “Well,” he started, responding to Link’s questioning look. “I better get used to heights. Because I bet we’re gonna be on top of the world together!” They laughed, and Link lightly nudged Rhett for his cheesy joke. They sat for another hour before leaving, Link helping Rhett up. They headed home, laughing about their latest joke.


End file.
